The Tamariki of Rangi and of Papa
The tamariki [Tamariki translates as ‘children’. The word in fact refers to persons of the group who belong in the generational category to which one’s natural children do or would have belonged.
The group can be as large a one as the tribe] named are Tane, Tu, Rongo, Haurnie and Tawhiri matea (Tawhiri for short). Tawhiri, son of Rangi, is half-brother to the others and is eldest. The tamariki perceive it is dark, their world consisting as it does of the valleys and hollows between the bodies of Rangi and Papa who are in close embrace. The feeling of cramp and a longing for light is general. There does not seem to be any prospect of change. Except for Tawhiri, the tamariki agree to a proposal to separate Rangi and Papa, the former to be removed afar off and the latter to be retained as nurturing parent. [Rangi potiki and Papa, supported by Tawhiri, resist separation. This is the first time in thekorero tahito that there is opposition to differentiation or expansion, and the intervening factor is aroha (love, sympathy). The separation is physical only. Rangi sends his aroha down in the rains, which are his tears, to Papa, who responds by sending up her greetings at dawn in the rising mists. Although physically apart they are united in spirit, their aroha binding them as one. The saying that ‘aroha is the one great thing’ may have originated here, and it is tempting to suppose that some ancestors appreciated the process of condensation without which life on this planet as we know it would not exist.] The retention of one parent is the idea of Tane, as is also the advice that force only adequate to accomplish separation and no more should be applied. All four brothers in turn attempt to bring about separation but it is Tane’s effort alone that brings success and in that role he gains the title of Tane-toko-Rangi (Tane who sets Rangi asunder). [Tane, Tane mahuta, Tane-toko-Rangi and so on is similar to Dad, Mr Chairman at the Rugby Club meeting, Major in the army and so on: the same individual wearing different hats.] With the change in role the name of Rangi becomes Rangi nui (the sky) and that of Papa becomes Papa tuanuku (the earth).Tawhiri brooding over the maltreatment of Rangi and of Papa projects thoughts that assume material form as the clouds, rains, sleet, storms. In the spirit of revenge Tawhiri unleashes these upon his brothers. They wreak havoc with all except Tu who withstands their assault. Tu, who had urged the others to present a united front against the assault, and who had been ignored, now turns upon his brothers and uses them for food and for his other needs. The korero tahito ends.
The addition to intuitive perception of sensory perception proves expansive and the plot of complex interrelationships is seen to thicken. Expression of experiences now requires physical terms such as cramp, but also emotional terms such as aroha (sympathy, love) and the feelings that make for the spirit of revenge. Possession by the tamariki of human attributes provides a basis for assuming that, exalted as they are, they are sufficiently human as to be approachable by the Maori. Sometimes as themselves, but more often in their forms as manifestations, the tamariki are recognised superhuman controlling powers. Thus Tane manifest as Tane mahuta (trees and birds) is invoked by those who have business in the forest. Rongo manifest as Rongomaraeroa (sweet potato) is invoked during the cropping season.
The purpose of religious activity here is to seek to enter the domain of the superbeing and do violence with impunity: to enter the forest and do some milling for building purposes, to husband the plant and then to dig up the tubers to feed one’s guests. Thus that activity neither reaches for redemption and salvation, nor conveys messages of praise and thanksgiving, but seeks permission and offers placation.
From this korero tahito together with the Te Po one we see that humans consist of a tangible and an intangible part. Implicitly both originate in Te Po. The intangible part is wairua (soul). There is also the mauri (essence or potential) but how it relates to wairua is unclear. The word ‘essence’ is appropriate in that it conveys the idea of that which cannot be analysed further. The word ‘potential’ is appropriate in so far as it refers to the unrealised. Mauri construed very briefly in terms of power is mana. The privileges and constraints that accompany the possession of mana is the tapu. And the dread or awe that surrounds the possession of mana is the wehi. A chief is often welcomed with the words: haere mai te mana te tapu me te wehi.
‘Welcome to the powerful, the privileged and the awesome.’ The Maori on the street of Ruatoria speaks of the mauri of carving, the mauri of oratory and so on. And by that he means the spiritual climate that surrounds the carver and his carving, especially during the creative process, the spiritual climate that surrounds the orator and his words, especially during the moments of delivery.
More on the topic The Tamariki of Rangi and of Papa:
- The Tamariki of Rangi and of Papa
- T ane-nui-a-rangi
- Tane and Tu
- If you ask a Maori in, for example, a settlement such as Ruatoria where Maoris constitute a majority of the population, what he understands by religion, expect him to scratch his head in thought, before at length replying ‘Whose religion?’
- Clarke Peter et al. (eds.). The World's Religions. Routledge,1988. — 995 p., 1988